U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan in New Orleans said Thursday the bounty matter "feels as protracted and painful as the Saints season itself, and calls for closure."

Goodell initially suspended Vilma for all of the 2012 season, and three other players received shorter bans. But Paul Tagliabue, Goodell's predecessor as commissioner, heard a final round of player appeals and threw out the suspensions last month.